The present invention relates generally to prepared meat products and more particularly to a steak product, typically made of ham, having a bone placed in the center of the steak, and also a method of manufacturing such a product.
Center-cut, bone-in ham steaks are a popular consumer food item and for that reason many restaurants have placed them on their menus. For reasons of economy, efficiency, and ease of preparation, restaurants prefer to purchase such ham steaks already prepared and sliced in controlled portions. A traditional way of preparing a bone-in ham steak is to cut out the center of a cured bone-in or semi-boneless ham and then slice it. The bone is left in the sliced steaks, to leave the natural appearance preferred by consumers. However, preparing a center cut, bone-in ham steak in this manner has several drawbacks.
First, a natural cut bone-in ham steak can weigh as much as sixteen ounces, which is too large for normal restaurant use, where six or eight ounce portions are preferred. A conventionally prepared eight ounce ham steak, however, must be cut so thin that it lacks an appealing appearance and is prone to fall apart prior to consumption. Further, if one chooses to simply cut the center portion of a ham from the butt and shank and then slice the steaks from that portion, it is difficult to closely control the size of the resulting portions because of the varying shapes of the hams. Also, the bone in such steaks will not be uniformly centered. In six or eight ounce portions, there may be an excess amount of fat which is naturally deposited in the center of the ham near the femur bone. Finally, a process which uses only the center portion of the ham means that the meat processor must waste the butt and the shank ends or find another use for them.
What is needed, then, is a ham steak product that can be manufactured in uniform six or eight ounce portions. This needed ham steak product must have a desirable appearance with a centered bone, minimal fat, and adequate thickness. This product is presently lacking in the prior art.